Nikki (nee Onika) Minaj (nee Maraj) is a polarising figure. Over the last decade, she has developed into a woman who is as hated by her detractors as she is adored by her fans. Few musicians have succeeded in as many areas of the industry as Minaj, who has topped pop charts around the world while maintaining her credibility as one of the best rappers working today. In addition to her musical success, she is also a style icon and a woman unafraid to speak truth to power. This isn't enough for some people. The detractors will say that her music is overrated and her image too constructed. They'll say that she is a bad role model for young women or an unacceptable face of feminism. They'll mock her body or her makeup or her hair. They'll side with Miley Cyrus in the great Minaj v Cyrus War Of 2015. Those detractors are wrong. Everything she has achieved and contributed to the often-dull-and-samey pop culture landscape is to be celebrated. Her music and public persona exist at the perilous intersection of pop, hip hop, race and sexuality and she thrives in that tricky position. Nicki Minaj deserves every bit of success she's had and more. Here are just a few reasons why.
Brydie is an Australian writer and performer living in London and she complains exactly the same amount about the weather as every other Australian living in London. Yes, that is her natural lip colour, no, she will not be taking any further questions at this time.
